George le claie



(No Model.)

G LE CLAIR TOBACCO CUTTING MACHINE.

Patented Sept. 29,1891.

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1, INVENTOR 2 WITN ESSES:

.50 cylinder, allows the tobacco-leav UNITED STATES GEORGE LE CLAIR, OF ME XIOO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO O. CORTLAND BROWVN, OF SAME PLACE.

TOBACCO-CUTTING MACHIN E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 460,341, dated September 29, 1891.

Application filed May 8, 1891. Serial No. 392,080. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE LE CLAIR, of Mexico, in the county of Oswego, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Tobacco-Scrap Machines, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear,

- and exact description.

This invention relates to the class of maro chines which are employed forcuttin g tobaccoleaves into small pieces or scraps designed for the fillings of cigars; and it is a further improvement of the machines shown in my patents, No. 348,402, of August 31, 1886, and No. 370,953, dated October 4., 1887.

The object of my present invention is to simplify the construction of the machine and to increase its efiiciency;- and to that end the invention consists in the improved construc- 2:: tion and combination of parts hereinafter de scribed, and specifically set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine with portions of one of the gear-wheels broken away to better illustrate more important features of my invention. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section on line at, Fig. 2. Fig. at is a detail view of the cutter-cylinder and its scraper,

and Fig. 5 is a detail view of the adjustable support of the stationary knife.

Similar letters and figures of reference indicate corresponding parts.

A represents the supporting-frame of the machine, and consists, chiefly, of two pedestals or side walls, between which the tobacco-cutting devices and their auxiliaries are arranged.

H is a trough or hopper secured to the top of the aforesaid frame. Beneath said hopper are the cutter-cylinder c and roller b, disposed in a horizontal plane, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. Said cutter-cylinder is provided with a series of circular knives c c o in the usual manner, and the roller 1) is grooved circumferentially to receive the edges of said knives. The hopper H, having its dischargeopening over the aforesaid roller and cutteres to pass down between said roller and cylinder, by

which the leaves are cut into long strips, and from which the said strips drop by gravity, and thus liberate themselves more readily from the roller and cutter-cylinder.

To more effectually guard against the adhesion of the tobacco-strips to the cutter-cylinder, I place under said cylinder a scraperplate f, firmly secured to the stationary knife d and formed with tongues, which extend up- Goward and between the knives c c and bear with their top edges against the side of the cylinder 0, facing toward the roller 1). The stationary knife d is arranged horizontally, beneath the cutter-cylinder c and is extended across the machine, and below this knife is the rotary cutter e, which has spiral cuttingedges, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. Said cutting-edges pass close to the edge of the knife cl, and thereby cut the tobacco-strips into small scraps. By the spiral disposition of the cutting-edges of the rotary cutter e the gumming of the aforesaid knife and cuttingedges is to a great extent obviated. To allow the knife d to be properly adjusted to its requisite proximity to the cutting-edges of the rotary cutter e, I provide the frame A with horizontal slots 5 8, through which the ends of the knife 61 extend. The knife protrudes at the exterior of the frameAand is provided with transverse slots (1, as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings.

To the exterior of the frame are affixed brackets g g, to which are connected ad justing-screws h, bearing on the back of the knife, and vertically through the slots (1 of theknife and through the brackets pass bolts 712', by which to clamp the knife in its adjusted position. The roller 19 is also'made adjustable in position in relation to the cutter-cylinder c by providing the frame with horizontal slots 0' r and seating in said slots, movablylengthwise thereof, the journal-boxes p p of the roller b. By means of set-screws p p, passing horizontally through screw threaded channels in the frame and bearing on the backs of the journal-boxes, the roller b is sustained in its requisite position.

The cutter-cylinder c, roller 1), and spiralcutter 8 receive rotary motion bysuitable intermeshing gears attached to the shafts or journals of the aforesaid parts and may be operated either by power derived from a suit-- able motor or by a hand-crank affixed to a balance-wheel attached to the shaft of the cutter e, to which shaft is also attached a pinion 2, which meshes with a gear-wheel 3, attached to the shaft or journal of the cuttercylinder 0. A pinion 4, secured to the opposite end of the latter shaft, meshes with a similar pinion on the shaft of the roller b.

To maintain the cutting-edges of the cutter 6 clean during the operation of the machine, I extend lengthwise thereof suitable cleaners supported on the frame and sustained in such positions as to cause them to wipe or sweep across the aforesaid cutting-edges.

Zdenotes one of said cleaners, and consists of a'roller disposed axially parallel with the cutter e, and sustained yieldingly in its position by the journals of said roller extending through slots n in the frame, and springs 0, connected to the journals and to the frame, draw the rollerZ toward the cutter e.

0" represents another cleaner of the form of brush extending lengthwise of the cutter e and journaled in the frame in any suitable manner, not necessary to be shown.

The roller Z, being in a measure restrained from rotating, is thereby caused to produce a sweeping or dragging action acrosss the spiral cutting-edges of the cutter e. The brush 0 serves to sweep the cutting-edges from the opposite side thereof.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In combination with the rollerb and cutter-cylinder c, disposed axially side by side, the stationary knife d beneath said cylinder, and the rotary cutter 6 below said knife and having spiral cutting-edges, substantially as described and shown.

2. In combination with the frame A and rotary cutter e,having spiral cutting-edges,a cleaner extending lengthwise 'of said cutter and supported in yielding bearings on the frame, as set forth.

3. The combination of the frame A, provided with slots 11, the rotary cutter 6, having spiral cutting-edges, the cleaning-roller I, having its journals extending through the aforesaid slots, and the springs 0 0, retaining the journals in the slots, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name this th day of May, 1891. GEORGE LE CLAIR.

Witnesses:

G. 0. BROWN, T. W. SKINNER. 

